BlueMUSE - Phase A
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Integral field spectroscopy has all the advantages of both direct imaging and also spectroscopy, giving us a spectrum for every location within the field of view of the instrument. The scientific value of such an approach has been clearly demonstrated by the instrument MUSE on the European Southern Observatories' Very Large Telescopes. This proposal aims to extend that success by building a new MUSE-like instrument with wavelength coverage blueward of the current instrument. This blue wavelength range is where many important diagnostics for the ages and abundances of stars lie. It also makes possible the detection of fluorescence from gas in the inter-galactic medium. This gas has been predicted to exist, but has not yet been found. Finding that gas would resolve the 'missing baryon problem' which has puzzled astronomers for decades.
The requested funding will allow the UK to join a large international consortium designing this instrument, giving us a leadership role in a key aspect of the build, and giving UK astronomers early access to the scientific exploitation of the completed instrument.
The requested funding will allow the UK to join a large international consortium designing this instrument, giving us a leadership role in a key aspect of the build, and giving UK astronomers early access to the scientific exploitation of the completed instrument.
Organisations
- Durham University (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Porto (Collaboration)
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) (Collaboration)
- University of Lisbon (Collaboration)
- Stockholm University (Collaboration)
- Australian Astronomical Observatory (Collaboration)
- Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 (UCBL) (Collaboration)
- Leibniz Association (Collaboration)
- University of Geneva (Collaboration)
- CEA Saclay (Collaboration)
Publications
| Description | The BlueMUSE consortium |
| Organisation | Australian Astronomical Observatory |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Durham University is in charge of the development of the spectrographs and Integral Field Units of the BlueMUSE instrument |
| Collaborator Contribution | The consortium is led by CRAL. The partners all contribute to the building of the instrument. |
| Impact | We recently completed the conceptual design phase (Phase A). The end of this was a review by ESO and an agreement to proceed further with the design of the instrument. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The BlueMUSE consortium |
| Organisation | CEA Saclay |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Durham University is in charge of the development of the spectrographs and Integral Field Units of the BlueMUSE instrument |
| Collaborator Contribution | The consortium is led by CRAL. The partners all contribute to the building of the instrument. |
| Impact | We recently completed the conceptual design phase (Phase A). The end of this was a review by ESO and an agreement to proceed further with the design of the instrument. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The BlueMUSE consortium |
| Organisation | Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 (UCBL) |
| Department | Astrophysics Research Centre of Lyon (CRAL) |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Durham University is in charge of the development of the spectrographs and Integral Field Units of the BlueMUSE instrument |
| Collaborator Contribution | The consortium is led by CRAL. The partners all contribute to the building of the instrument. |
| Impact | We recently completed the conceptual design phase (Phase A). The end of this was a review by ESO and an agreement to proceed further with the design of the instrument. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The BlueMUSE consortium |
| Organisation | Leibniz Association |
| Department | Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Durham University is in charge of the development of the spectrographs and Integral Field Units of the BlueMUSE instrument |
| Collaborator Contribution | The consortium is led by CRAL. The partners all contribute to the building of the instrument. |
| Impact | We recently completed the conceptual design phase (Phase A). The end of this was a review by ESO and an agreement to proceed further with the design of the instrument. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The BlueMUSE consortium |
| Organisation | Stockholm University |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Durham University is in charge of the development of the spectrographs and Integral Field Units of the BlueMUSE instrument |
| Collaborator Contribution | The consortium is led by CRAL. The partners all contribute to the building of the instrument. |
| Impact | We recently completed the conceptual design phase (Phase A). The end of this was a review by ESO and an agreement to proceed further with the design of the instrument. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The BlueMUSE consortium |
| Organisation | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Durham University is in charge of the development of the spectrographs and Integral Field Units of the BlueMUSE instrument |
| Collaborator Contribution | The consortium is led by CRAL. The partners all contribute to the building of the instrument. |
| Impact | We recently completed the conceptual design phase (Phase A). The end of this was a review by ESO and an agreement to proceed further with the design of the instrument. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The BlueMUSE consortium |
| Organisation | University of Geneva |
| Department | Geneva Observatory |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Durham University is in charge of the development of the spectrographs and Integral Field Units of the BlueMUSE instrument |
| Collaborator Contribution | The consortium is led by CRAL. The partners all contribute to the building of the instrument. |
| Impact | We recently completed the conceptual design phase (Phase A). The end of this was a review by ESO and an agreement to proceed further with the design of the instrument. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The BlueMUSE consortium |
| Organisation | University of Lisbon |
| Country | Portugal |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Durham University is in charge of the development of the spectrographs and Integral Field Units of the BlueMUSE instrument |
| Collaborator Contribution | The consortium is led by CRAL. The partners all contribute to the building of the instrument. |
| Impact | We recently completed the conceptual design phase (Phase A). The end of this was a review by ESO and an agreement to proceed further with the design of the instrument. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The BlueMUSE consortium |
| Organisation | University of Porto |
| Country | Portugal |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Durham University is in charge of the development of the spectrographs and Integral Field Units of the BlueMUSE instrument |
| Collaborator Contribution | The consortium is led by CRAL. The partners all contribute to the building of the instrument. |
| Impact | We recently completed the conceptual design phase (Phase A). The end of this was a review by ESO and an agreement to proceed further with the design of the instrument. |
| Start Year | 2022 |